The present invention relates to a mass-coupling arrangement for a vehicle.
It is generally known from the prior art to drive vehicles solely by means of an electric motor (electric vehicle) or by means of a combination of an electric motor and a drive machine of another kind (hybrid drive). In these cases, the electrical energy which is necessary to drive the electric motor is stored in an electrical energy store, such as a battery or a rechargeable battery for example. The battery can be charged from time to time by means of an external electrical energy source and can be used to store recovered brake energy (regenerative energy).
Known structural designs of electrically driven vehicles provide for an overproportionally large mass fraction of the battery in comparison to the vehicle as a whole. In order to achieve a long range, the electrically driven vehicles are equipped with large batteries which can have a mass of several 100 kg (for example 100 to 400 kg). Therefore, the battery forms up to 30% of the total mass of the vehicle. Owing to the high mass, the battery constitutes a potential danger in the event of an accident. Therefore, fastening the battery to the body of the motor vehicle plays an important role. Known concepts for electrically driven vehicles provide the battery as a uniform rigid block in the region of the underbody of the vehicle (ideally between the front axle and rear axle). The battery consequently makes a contribution to lowering the overall center of gravity of the vehicle. In addition, the battery can be well protected by the surrounding supporting structure or can contribute to protection of the passenger compartment as the supporting structure itself.
A higher total mass of the vehicle can further have positive and also negative effects on the occupants of the vehicle in the event of a vehicle/vehicle collision or else in the event of a collision with an inflexible object, such as a barrier or a pole. In the event of a vehicle/vehicle collision, the occupants in the vehicle of lower weight will, from a theoretical point-of-view, be subject to greater acceleration (impact momentum) than those in the heavier vehicle. The mass which is active at a certain time and its energetic proportion in the overall momentum balance is important for the impact momentum.